Seditious or Submissive Whispers

[tibbius]

OOC discussions here please.

For example: character ideas, relationships, DM / player questions and answers, etc.

First Questions:

• Who is your character?
• Who is the person being executed?
• How do your characters know the condemned?
• How are your characters allied to each other?

Ok to disagree initially, that's the meaning of discussion - eventually we'll arrive at a backstory that all of us like.

[SentinelCole]

Where do we do the rolls? What era are we in (modern day, Victorian, etc.)?

[tibbius]

Check out the UnseenServant.com dice roller.

Also, because I'm contemplating a public execution, I'm thinking quasi-Victorian. But obviously ... different. Tone down the racism and sexism because I can't stomach that level of constant background vileness.

[SentinelCole]

Oh yes, I'm in solid agreement on the no bigotry. Just not needed.

-Who is your character? Professor Reginald Jones. Was in the army decades ago where he was exposed to Something Not Meant To Be Known and lost an eye in the process. Turned to scholarship to understand more (I rolled a 11, 10 and 15 and I figure every eldritch story needs an old scholar).
-Who is the person being executed? A man accused of the theft (of an Arcana but that's not publicly known) from the wrong person
-How do your characters know the condemned? We're trying to clear his name OR find the Arcana he stole and hid.
-How are your characters allied to each other? All part of a private club with a not so secret interest in the Arcana

Those are my ideas but I'm open to whatever else people think of.

[tibbius]

Just found this on discord:

[Samwell Turleton]

Enfys Tambrell

An escaped child prisoner from the Glenrose manor nearby that had been recently converted into a detention center for juveniles. The building was acquired to support efforts by local leaders to control child crimes. City leaders were goaded on by merchants to criminalize thefts by children. This was primarily in protection of their property and profits. Enfys was one of the more recent arrivals sent there for nicking some fruit from a market.

The person being executed is an adult prisoner who was sent to Glenrose when the number of prisoners in the existing jail exceeded the beds. The city leadership decided that a more efficient way to control the overflow of prisons is to execute new prisoners. This individual crossed a particularly influential merchant who possessed a unique arcanum.

Enfys met the accused in Glenrose when she showed her some kindness and helped her in a conflict with a guard. The accused and Enfys were severely beaten during the encounter but Enfys recognized the sacrifice she tried to make.

Enfys may have stolen from the others.

Enfys escaped Glenrose when she was working in the fields of the manor. She was chained to a boulder and left loosely attended forced to dig a trench and break rocks just to wear her down. She struck into the soil and heard the metallic sound of a tin container. Seeing that she was not being carefully observed she dug around the object and carefully pried it open. She grasped the object carefully. Then she realized she was standing near where she had been and the chain attached to her manacles lie unbroken in the soil where she was and the clasps around her wrists still securely fastened. She gripped the object preciously and ran for the nearby wood.

Enfys hid out of sight until she grew hungry and went into the city. She stole food using the power of the arcanum to quickly get in and out of places. In one of these trips she overheard of the public execution and a description of the accused. She has to help...somehow...

[Urson]

Sorry if it looked like I'd ghosted- life got weird for a bit. I'll get a character together and posted ASIC.

[tibbius]

Tentative Answers:

Who is your character? - we have sheets for Amos, Andreas, The Professor, and Enfys
Who is the person being executed? - a person of indeterminate gender (the Professor sees him, Enfys sees her) who stole from a merchant. The merchant is believed to own an arcanum.
How do your characters know the condemned? - Enfys was imprisoned with her.
How are your characters allied to each other? - Maybe this. Professor Reginald Jones is a key member of The Faculty, a group who research and seek to collect arcana. Amos is a sometimes employee of the Faculty, who gains access to arcana located by other means. Enfys has come to Professor Jones' attention through rumors about an urchin who can get through walls. Andreas is an old friend of Reginald, a former colleague. Andreas and Reginald fell out from each other when their mutual friend and colleague Steven/Cynthia got caught acquiring an arcanum, was imprisoned with Enfys, possibly gave up the secrets of the Faculty, and now is scheduled to be executed.

[Urson]

I'm stealing a lot of atmosphere stuff from Tim Powers' book The Anubis Gates. If I'm turning stuff in the wrong direction, PLEASE let me know.

[Samwell Turleton]

Let me know if you need anything else from me - happy to develop ideas further or modify what I suggested for Enfys.

[Samwell Turleton]

I apologize for the absence in posting - I think I read the kick-off post while on the road and failed to go back to it!

[tibbius]

It looks like SentinelCole is out, hasn't been on the forum since June 30 and only has 12 posts since joining on June 21. Fly-by-forum...

[Samwell Turleton]

Well that was gratifying - I really like your description and how it engages so many sensory details. That is something that captures me about subways - the amplification of smells, sounds, vibrations, and wind pushed in front of the rushing train are all really distinctive in those spaces.

[tibbius]

Many apologies for my long delay in posting to this one. I'm still interested in what happens, just trying to figure out how to drive the plot. Please let me know if my next post "works" for you.

[Urson]

No problem here. There's always a few 'growing pains' while GM and Players get an understanding of each other and the scenario.

[tibbius]

Periodically I think over the games I'm running and playing to figure out where I'm going next with each and whether I'm still interested.

For reasons having nothing to do with you players, and everything to do with my own personal interests, this one doesn't make the cut.

I'm sorry, but the nascent ideas I had for where to take this just aren't materializing. The only fun part for me has been Enfys' effort to sever the cables to the chair - and that was all player-driven. I'm just not coming up with anything interesting to give you all. Again, I'm sorry for my lack of inspiration.

Hopefully you'll be willing to play in future games with me! I promise I'm generally more entertaining than this one has been.

[Samwell Turleton]

No worries!

It has been interesting to read about London from that time period and learning all kinds of new slang with Amos and Andreas

Would it be technically possible to transition the GM to someone else if people want to continue? I would need to put a little thought into it but I might be open to swapping Enfys and taking the story somewhere if other folks are interested in continuing with something small.

[tibbius]

Yes, it is possible to swap GMs. If everyone else is ok with that, we can ask one of the admins to do it.

[Urson]

I understand, Tibbius. I have the same problem with pretty much every game I try to run (which is why I haven't tried to start any for a while).
AFA what comes next, I'm good with either option. I'm an incurable RP'er, so if the game is running, I'm in.

[tibbius]

Samwell Turleton is your new DM! I will continue as a player of the insufferable Professor Reggie Jones, who has been absent from action since he absent-mindedly wandered away through the crowd at Trafalgar Square.